if its your garden and she's has to lean over the fence/wall to spray then your neighbour has committed trespass and/or criminal damage as well as poisoning your garden.
as for long grass being a wild life habitat, it really isn't (25 + years of active environmental conservation taught me that) even with weeds in it, if you want to establish a wildflower meadow you'll have to remove most of the grass as it will out compete any wild flowers you plant.
you can either seed with wildflower seed, plant plug plants or if you've got money to burn, buy wild flower turf.
Working on the basis that she is not a nutter, (although there are plenty about) she would probably not spray weedkiller if she saw you trying to make a garden - of any sort - rather than just leaving it to become overgrown. Although what she has done is certainly trespass - in her mind she may have felt she was helping, or just be exasperated at the untidy mess she has to walk past every day. People do feel aggrieved when one garden in a neighbourhood seems to be neglected, as they think it reflects on them and their own environment.
You need to strike a balance between wildlife friendly and simple neglect. As has been said, just letting it go untended is not as good as a wildlife resource as careful planting and low impact intervention because you get one species - usually grass - dominating and the biodiversity reduces. If you take some time to introduce different plants and look after them so the grass doesn't swamp everything. then the local bird and insect population will be much happier. 'Gardening' doesn't have to mean pristine lawns and rows of bedding plants. There is a middle ground (actually a lot of it). so work on the basis that if you take ownership of your garden, others are less likely to interfere.
If she still does it then you'll have to take more determined action, but I would say it's too soon to judge that.
Last edited: 04 July 2017 09:17:10
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Must admit I do have a bit of sympathy for your neighbor. I have lived next door to an abandoned garden for years anyotd a constant battle to keep my garden weed free with all the seeds that come floating over the wall. But best to say to her now that you're taking it in hand.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
As I understand things to sow a wildflower meadow successfully you firstly need to remove any grass.
I'd also want to find out what wildlife you have in the neighbourhood before you start. There's no point in planting up to attract birds, mammals or butterfly's etc that are not in your neighbourhood to start with.
Find your nearest natural history society, bird watching, bat or mammal group to find out what's in your area.
If your fortunate enough to have an RSPB or some other wildlife reserve nearby pop along and ask for help. You may have a rare or endangered creature within your area that with a little help you can carefully plant up your garden with more specific plant species to help out that specific bat, mammal, butterfly, dragonfly, beetle or bug.
There's nothing to be gained from sowing a wildflower meadow mix in a garden to attract butterfly's that only occur in Somerset if you live in Aberdeenshire. A wildflower Meadow mix should be tailored to suite where you live in the world and to suite the soil type and target creatures you want to attract into the garden.
You could plant a beautiful and cracking wildflower meadow and the local wildlife will not benefit from your hard work if you get the wrong seed mix.
doesn't matter what local wildlife you have, a wild flower meadow will only improve the local situation, it might take a couple of years but wildlife will find it eventually. a standard mix will be fine to start with you can get plug plants of more specialised species as and when you need them (but you won't)
(doesn't matter what local wildlife you have, a wild flower meadow will only improve the local situation)
Agree Completely
(it might take a couple of years but wildlife will find it eventually.)
Agree Completely
(a standard mix will be fine to start with)
Agree Completely
you can get plug plants of more specialised species as and when you need them
Agree Completely
(but you won't) Absolutely Disagree Completely wholeheartedly
Take the Butterfly "Holy Blue" Celastrina argiolus for example and there are others even more specialised meaning that a very specific single plant or a very specific small number of flowers are required for the species to complete its lifecycle. By adding these specific plants / flowers into your garden you greatly increase the chances of seeing these creatures a lot more often in your garden.
I have Holly Blue and others inc Brimstone in my area, since I planted specific wildflowers for these butterfly's I get to see them more often and for longer in the garden.
I now have my own Holly Blue colony in the garden and the Brimstone's are laying eggs in the Alder Buckthorn.
i have holly blue, It lives in my dogwood hedge, didn't plant it for that species, but it was nice to see one turn up a couple of years ago and now I have lots, particularly as I'm at the northern limit of it range.
what I mean is most people when setting up a wild area don't do it for really specific species, they do it for as many common species as possible, if rare ones turn up that's a bonus.
Posts
What do I do when the neighbour goes and sprays weed killer in our garden? What argument can I give about that? It really undermines my self-esteem.
I guess invite her for coffee and politely ask her not to in future and see what happens.
When you explain what you want to do and why, she might catch some of your enthusiasm.
if its your garden and she's has to lean over the fence/wall to spray then your neighbour has committed trespass and/or criminal damage as well as poisoning your garden.
as for long grass being a wild life habitat, it really isn't (25 + years of active environmental conservation taught me that) even with weeds in it, if you want to establish a wildflower meadow you'll have to remove most of the grass as it will out compete any wild flowers you plant.
you can either seed with wildflower seed, plant plug plants or if you've got money to burn, buy wild flower turf.
Working on the basis that she is not a nutter, (although there are plenty about) she would probably not spray weedkiller if she saw you trying to make a garden - of any sort - rather than just leaving it to become overgrown. Although what she has done is certainly trespass - in her mind she may have felt she was helping, or just be exasperated at the untidy mess she has to walk past every day. People do feel aggrieved when one garden in a neighbourhood seems to be neglected, as they think it reflects on them and their own environment.
You need to strike a balance between wildlife friendly and simple neglect. As has been said, just letting it go untended is not as good as a wildlife resource as careful planting and low impact intervention because you get one species - usually grass - dominating and the biodiversity reduces. If you take some time to introduce different plants and look after them so the grass doesn't swamp everything. then the local bird and insect population will be much happier. 'Gardening' doesn't have to mean pristine lawns and rows of bedding plants. There is a middle ground (actually a lot of it). so work on the basis that if you take ownership of your garden, others are less likely to interfere.
If she still does it then you'll have to take more determined action, but I would say it's too soon to judge that.
Last edited: 04 July 2017 09:17:10
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Must admit I do have a bit of sympathy for your neighbor. I have lived next door to an abandoned garden for years anyotd a constant battle to keep my garden weed free with all the seeds that come floating over the wall. But best to say to her now that you're taking it in hand.
As I understand things to sow a wildflower meadow successfully you firstly need to remove any grass.
I'd also want to find out what wildlife you have in the neighbourhood before you start. There's no point in planting up to attract birds, mammals or butterfly's etc that are not in your neighbourhood to start with.
Find your nearest natural history society, bird watching, bat or mammal group to find out what's in your area.
If your fortunate enough to have an RSPB or some other wildlife reserve nearby pop along and ask for help. You may have a rare or endangered creature within your area that with a little help you can carefully plant up your garden with more specific plant species to help out that specific bat, mammal, butterfly, dragonfly, beetle or bug.
There's nothing to be gained from sowing a wildflower meadow mix in a garden to attract butterfly's that only occur in Somerset if you live in Aberdeenshire. A wildflower Meadow mix should be tailored to suite where you live in the world and to suite the soil type and target creatures you want to attract into the garden.
You could plant a beautiful and cracking wildflower meadow and the local wildlife will not benefit from your hard work if you get the wrong seed mix.
to quote a movie - built it and they shall come.
doesn't matter what local wildlife you have, a wild flower meadow will only improve the local situation, it might take a couple of years but wildlife will find it eventually. a standard mix will be fine to start with you can get plug plants of more specialised species as and when you need them (but you won't)
(doesn't matter what local wildlife you have, a wild flower meadow will only improve the local situation)
Agree Completely
(it might take a couple of years but wildlife will find it eventually.)
Agree Completely
(a standard mix will be fine to start with)
Agree Completely
you can get plug plants of more specialised species as and when you need them
Agree Completely
(but you won't) Absolutely Disagree Completely wholeheartedly
Take the Butterfly "Holy Blue" Celastrina argiolus for example and there are others even more specialised meaning that a very specific single plant or a very specific small number of flowers are required for the species to complete its lifecycle. By adding these specific plants / flowers into your garden you greatly increase the chances of seeing these creatures a lot more often in your garden.
I have Holly Blue and others inc Brimstone in my area, since I planted specific wildflowers for these butterfly's I get to see them more often and for longer in the garden.
I now have my own Holly Blue colony in the garden and the Brimstone's are laying eggs in the Alder Buckthorn.
i have holly blue, It lives in my dogwood hedge, didn't plant it for that species, but it was nice to see one turn up a couple of years ago and now I have lots, particularly as I'm at the northern limit of it range.
what I mean is most people when setting up a wild area don't do it for really specific species, they do it for as many common species as possible, if rare ones turn up that's a bonus.